'World Is Built On Sexual Harassment'

MOSCOW -- The slew of allegations of sexual assault and harassment cleaving showbiz since Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's downfall have elicited a mixed reaction in Russia.

But they get very short shrift from a Russian film luminary.

Leading director Andrei Konchalovsky has become the latest Russian to play down the scandals rocking the West, arguing that sexual harassment is normal.

"As far as sexual harassment is concerned, actually I think the whole world has always been built on it," he told the Izvestia newspaper on November 9. "Men must make passes at women, and women must resist."

Last month, allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape against acclaimed Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein engulfed Western media, triggering criminal investigations on both sides of the Atlantic and allegations of misconduct by other powerful men. It has also fueled a #MeToo social-media campaign in which millions of women aired their own accusations or otherwise condemned sexual misconduct.

'Such Stupidity'

The allegations have been met with shrugs by many in Russia, where top officials are fond of publicly promoting "traditional" patriarchal family values and frequently maligning the West for liberalism, tolerance, and political correctness.

Konchalovsky, 80, joked that in light of the accusations, "it turns out that all men must be taken to court."

He also argued that a similar scandal -- which he described as "such stupidity" -- is impossible in Russia, seemingly suggesting news of such behavior would not elicit any reaction.

"Men are men and women are women," he said. "Thank god we live in a country where political correctness hasn't reached the absurd. When you can't call a man a man, a woman a woman and you have to call them a person. I believe this is an aberration of neoconservative-globalists that is disastrous for the family. And for everything."

He contended that a similar scandal might be possible within the confines of the Garden Ring road that surrounds central Moscow but would not really resonate in the same way among ordinary Russians.

'No Sex In America'

The award-winning Konchalovsky emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States in the 1980s and spent years among the Hollywood elite, and boasts many successful "U.S. genre films" -- including Tango And Cash and Runaway Train -- in addition to his Russian works.

Konchalovsky also suggested to Izvestia that the accusations against Weinstein were part of a conspiracy by U.S. President Donald Trump to demonize former U.S. Secretary of State and defeated presidential rival Hillary Clinton. He echoed Western reports citing Weinstein's contributions to Clinton's 2016 campaign (which were also highlighted by other Russian media).

The Weinstein saga got Russian state media treatment on November 5 on a flagship political affairs show hosted by Dmitry Kiselyov, head of the government-controlled news and media group Rossiya Segodnya.

After saying he is "categorically against sexual harassment," Kiselyov added that the scandal is sucking the sex out of America and that the furor "threatens to destroy the humor in people's relationships."

"There is no sex in America...[and] the sexual revolution is a thing of the past," Kiselyov said. "Now everything can be seen as dirty harassment."

You know, if this was just some douche bag somewhere in Siberia, who cares?

But this is Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky (at left, glasses), part of the most powerful family in Russian showbiz
His now late father, the old man there, at right, with the medal on his chest, Sergey Mikhalkov, was a famous, award-winning Soviet and Russian poet, who once wrote the words for the Soviet anthem; and then, at old age, Putin had him write the current Russian anthem as well.

Brother Nikita Mikhalkov is an iconic actor and filmmaker and the President of the Cinematographers' Union of Russia
This is the ruling body that, essentially, determines which movie does get made in Russia, and which will never see the light of day. For a director over there, if you piss off Mr. Mikhalkov, it means you never get state funding, or use of studios, and even if you still, somehow, manage to make your film, no theatre in the country will dare ever screen it.

Both Andrei (who, btw, carries his mother's surname as well as his father's, unusual in Russia, but his way of paying homage to her, she too was a gifted poet in her day, though not nearly as famous as dad) and Nikita are very close to the Kremlin
They stand at the vanguard of Russia's moral values for Putin, making sure Russia's wholesome young people are never exposed to nasty gay propaganda and other Western decadence, through foreign movies lol

Nikita with Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinsky

When Andrei's wife, Yulia Vysotskaya, who is known in Russia for her cooking shows on TV, decided to open her own restaurant chain in Moscow, couple years ago
the brothers asked (successfully) the Kremlin for federal funding fior starting capital, claiming it will be a patriotic alternative to foreign fast food! And Putin gave them money, no joke. Sons of bitches...

Nikita's daughters, Anna (left, older) and Nadezhda, have also become well known actresses
Anna, frankly, has neither the looks, nor much talent, from what I heard; but, if she wants a role, she gets it: refuse her, and you mess with her dad, and nobody in the Russian movie industry is gonna mess with Nikita Mikhalkov...

And son, Artyom, is an actor and director too

Grand-kids already coming up in the world too, for example, Anna's boys Andrei Jr. and Sergey Jr. have also started acting and also modelled at a fashion show this year

On Andrei's side, his oldest son, Egor, from first marriage
is also a very prominent director today.

And little Piotr is growing up too, the son with Yulia
lol Love that pic. Stupid parents, why you gotta make out in front of me? haha

Anyway, point is, a very powerful family who, through cinema, have a great influence on the Russian public and their thoughts and sentiments.

And they are far from the only ones in the industry there to think as Andrei expressed.

No wonder there are so many issues over there, as much and way more than over here, with sexual harassment, domestic abuse and violence towards women, and just all kinds of misogynistic crap. When men like these shape the national discourse...

The reality is - Pandora's box of sexuality has been opened for those in fame.
It's very scary indeed because it cuts everyone.
The biggest secrets people keep are sex secrets.
It ruins lives of those who let it.

The reality is - Pandora's box of sexuality has been opened for those in fame.
It's very scary indeed because it cuts everyone.
The biggest secrets people keep are sex secrets.
It ruins lives of those who let it.

I don't understand what you mean. You talking about all the allegations about incidents from years or even decades ago, now emerging against various celebs?

It is interesting that it is all coming out now... Weinstein's downfall really opejed up a big can of worms...